A Message From Our President, Anne Yeadon

Welcome once again to VisionAWARE. 

Although our self-help site for those with vision loss is less than a year old we’re excited by the many e-mails you’ve sent us. Since the release of our last Special Issue Newsletter on Macular Degeneration we’ve also heard from numerous social workers, most of whom are unfamiliar with the field of vision rehabilitation. Welcome to the AWARE family.  We’ve enjoyed connecting and developing new relationships with you:  

Merle, a social worker in Florida, on her way to visit a 95-year-old totally blind client who lived in a senior community, wanted to know whether her client was entitled to free operator dialing services.

Robin, a social worker from New York, needed some answers about driver’s license regulations for her 20-year-old client who has low vision.

Marie, from a senior services center in Arizona, asked for information on large print materials for her low vision support group.

In addition, many social workers contacted us to ask for our brochures and other forms of self-help ‘how to’ information to distribute at community fairs or conferences. They also asked if they could download information from VisionAWARE to share with others. Yes, you are always welcome to download VisionAWARE information and by letting us know what you need, you’re also helping us improve the VisionAWARE site.

As a result of your feedback we’re now in the process of preparing Informational Sheets that are readily downloadable and specifically designed for public distribution.  Needless to say, if you’d like to help distribute the VisionAWARE brochures, just let us know how many you need.

We’re excited to know that so many of you are now registered to receive the Are You AWARE? Newsletter. We’ve also been pleased to see the growing interest in obtaining our latest publication: New Independence! Craft Adaptations for Adults with Vision Impairments.  We believe this fills a vital—and fun-filled—gap in the literature.  If you feel there’s a need for additional publications, especially where too little information currently exists, please let us know.

Also remember, if you’ve checked out VisionAWARE’s Q&A sections and you can’t find the answers to your questions then, again, let us know. What independent living information are you seeking?  What unanswered questions do you have?  Do you need more information on a specific topic?  Please reach out to us, and become part of the AWARE family.  Share VisionAWARE’s information with your friends, and we look forward to hearing from you. Enjoy the summer, and stay healthy! 

All good wishes, Anne anne.yeadon@visionaware.org

Reader Feedback

Kudos to AWARE for the excellent description of AMD by Lylas G. Mogk, MD in “Are You AWARE?” Vol 1, Issue 3, May 2007.  She explains a complicated and devastating condition affecting so many older Americans in easily understandable terms, yet with enough clinical information to satisfy those of us who want to understand the mechanics of the disease.  I have saved it to send out every time someone asks me about AMD. Thank you so much!

~ Victoria M. Sheffield, Executive Director, International Eye Foundation

I have given your Internet address to so many people in my Veterans Administration (VA) Blind Support Group, here in Columbia, South Carolina. I cannot tell you that they will do this or that, but I just wanted you to know that someone … really appreciates VisionAWARE.

~ Eddie Cantril

Thank you so much for your VisionAWARE material. It is a tremendous resource and I hope to follow up on many of the links. My big question is: Why is it such a well-kept secret? I belong to one of the leading HMOs in the country. Although their ophthalmologist diagnosed me as having dry macular degeneration, he never mentioned your organization or the many others dealing with the subject. 

~ RG, Berkeley, California

I printed out quite a bit of your information for our senior health fair, primarily on adaptations – things that we as professionals often take for granted and forget to share. There is much on your site to take advantage of, and I intend to do just that, as well as share the resources. Thank you.

~ Janet McInnis, CVRT, Michigan Commission for the Blind

Agency News and Views

The Iris Network Develops Maine's First Housing Complex for People who Are Blind or Have Low Vision

The Iris Park Apartments in Portland, Maine, the state’s first low income housing for people who are blind or have low vision, and the second facility of its kind in the United States, will hold its grand opening on Friday, August 10, 2007.  The $5.5 million housing complex is composed of 30 independent living apartments in a fully integrated community setting.  The Iris Network spearheaded the development of the Iris Park Apartments to promote affordable housing and support independence and full quality of life for adults who are blind or have low vision.  You can read more about the Iris Network and the Iris Park Apartments in Maine Today. 

Vision Rehabilitation in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The Ebsar Foundation, a Saudi Arabian not-for-profit agency that works with people with impaired vision, along with Lighthouse International, coordinated a comprehensive low vision course in Dubai, UAE, from April 2-5, 2007. The Ebsar-Lighthouse low vision course emphasized the importance of vision rehabilitation as part of the team approach to low vision care. Upon returning to their local communities, course participants will establish connections between vision doctors and rehabilitation professionals or advocate for the development of such services.  You can learn more about the Ebsar Foundation at the Blind News Mailing List.

Web Sites of Interest

• Adaptive Technology Consulting, Inc. assists individuals who are blind or have low vision to make informed decisions about selecting, purchasing, and using an adapted technology product or system.  They also provide information on new products, an on-site training and demonstration center, and an extensive selection of reduced-price items and adaptive devices.

• The Blind Bargains store at Amazon.com searches the Internet to assemble a wide variety of products for people who are blind or have low vision.  Product categories include accessible phones, braille books, braille and talking watches, talking scales, and talking blood glucose monitors.

• Blindspots rates films on a 10-point scale, according to their accessibility for moviegoers who are blind or have low vision. The web site keeps current with new releases, provides an archive of reviews, and encourages viewer feedback.

• EnableMart provides an extensive selection of assistive technology and assistive living devices for individuals with a range of disabilities, including blindness, low vision, hearing loss, mobility and communication impairments, and learning disabilities.  They also provide a toll-free help line and an on-site training and demonstration center.

• OcuSource: The Global Vision Impairment Resource provides information about eye disorders, current research, and clinical trials, in addition to a “Resource Finder” database of doctors, organizations, agencies, vendors, and vision professionals.

Blindness and Low Vision in the News

Advocates Ask the Fashion Industry to Support Braille Clothing Tags

Imagine coordinating your wardrobe in the dark. It's not something Armani, Prada or Fendi think about when designing clothing. Every morning, however, millions of men and woman who are blind or have low vision reach into their closets to read braille labels or similar coding systems to identify their clothing.  In response to this everyday need, Jaimen Brill and Asmah Abushagur formed White Cane Label to promote independence in wardrobe choices for men and women who are blind or have low vision. They also advocate for braille-embossed care labels to be sewn into all manufacturers’ garments. You can read more about their project, including the proposed label specifications at EurekaAlert.

Company to Update Its ATMs for Blind Consumers

The nation's largest non-bank owner of ATMs will improve access for the blind at its machines located in malls, gas stations and pharmacies, under an agreement announced Wednesday. Cardtronics Inc., based in Houston, will make most of its ATMs accessible to the blind by 2010, under an agreement settling a lawsuit filed by the National Federation of the Blind and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley. Cardtronics operates about 24,000 ATMs in locations that include Albertson's supermarkets, CVS pharmacies, Hess and Sunoco gas stations, and Target stores. The agreement also covers another 5,000 ATMs that Cardtronics plans to acquire from 7-Eleven. The machines will use voice guidance technology, commonly available at many bank ATMs, which is activated by plugging headphones into a jack on the machines. You can read more about this ATM development agreement at abc7chicago.com.

RadioShack Announces Service Improvements for Customers who are Blind or Have Low Vision

RadioShack announced that it has undertaken a nationwide initiative to improve services for their customers who are blind or have low vision. As part of the program, RadioShack will install new point of sale equipment with tactile keypads to protect the privacy and security of visually impaired shoppers. By the end of September 2007, every RadioShack store will have the new device, which is designed to protect the financial privacy of shoppers who are blind and have low vision. The devices, manufactured by Ingenico, have tactile keys arranged like a standard telephone keypad and plug easily into existing point of sale payment terminals. The new units will allow RadioShack shoppers who have difficulty reading information on a touch screen to privately and independently enter their PIN, telephone number, and other confidential information. You can read more about RadioShack’s disability initiatives in Earth Times.

Senators Hagel, Obama, and Brown Introduce Bill to Authorize Scholarship Program for Students Seeking Training in Blind Rehabilitation

On June 21, 2007, Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) introduced legislation to help the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) meet the increasing demands of today's blind veteran population.  Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), both members of the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee, joined Hagel as original co-sponsors of the legislation, which directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a scholarship program for students seeking a degree or training in blind rehabilitation. “Rehabilitation training for veterans who have lost their eyesight enables them to function in their surroundings and live more independently. This legislation would encourage students to enter employment in an under-populated medical field, while also serving our nation’s veterans,” Hagel said. You can read more about this proposed legislation in All American Patriots.

Do You Know?

Question: Can sunlight really harm my eyes?  If so, are there any precautions I should take?

Answer:  According to Daniel G. Garrett, senior vice-president of Prevent Blindness America (PBA), “most of us wouldn't dream of staying outside in the sun without putting on sunscreen lotion. But we also have to remember
to wear both UV-blocking lenses and a brimmed hat to protect our eyes as well.”  A recent PBA survey found that only 9% of respondents were aware that extended sun exposure can damage vision, and only 16% wear sunlenses when they’re outdoors for extended periods of time.  UV damage to eyes is cumulative, and the harmful effects may not be evident for years. Extended UV exposure has been linked with cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, and photokeratitis.